The first mercenaries recruited by the Wagner paramilitary group in Russian prisons are gradually returning to their homeland. They are free again, but also traumatized. They are ticking time bombs that could pose a major problem for Russian society.
CVE
02-02-23, 08:20
Latest update:
08:37
Source:
The New York Times, Focus, Bild, ISW
A leaked video already showed how the ruthless Wagner boss recruited Prigozhin in Russian penal colonies. “I need your criminal talents to kill the enemy,” the mercenary boss motivated the prisoners. And he also had threats in store for those who might want to change their mind: “Then you will be branded as deserters and shot.”
LOOK. EXPLAINED in 90 seconds: Who are the Russian Wagner mercenaries?
Among the prisoners recruited are men who have served time for robbery or theft, but also convicts who have raped and murdered. Similarly, the ‘black broker’ who had a family with children murdered is walking free again after completing his six-month contract with Wagner. The relatives of the victims are furious.
The Wagner mercenaries with a criminal past have also been traumatized and broken by their experiences at the front. But for now they seem to be silent. They are wary of retaliation if they speak out.
22-year-old Andrey Jastrebov is one of these returnees. He was in prison for theft, was recruited and is now back home after fighting at the front. ‘The New York Times’ was able to speak to some family members. “We all feel like he’s in some kind of hypnosis, like he’s a different person,” said a family member who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. “He’s emotionless.”
LOOK. Russia’s cruellest serial killer wants to join Wagner mercenary army
Thousands of convicts have been killed, many within days or even hours of arriving at the front, Russian human rights activists and Ukrainian officials say. They were often used as “cannon fodder”. Those who survived the horrors and are allowed to return home have been rewarded with generous compensation, medals and, above all, freedom.
Jastrebov is then someone who had not committed any serious crimes before the war. Compared to many other returned convicts, he is therefore still small beer.
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These are psychologically broken people who return with a sense of justice and believe they killed to defend their homeland
“These are psychologically broken people who return with a sense of justice and believe they killed to defend their homeland. They can be very dangerous people.” So says Jana Gelmel, a Russian lawyer who works with military prisoners, to ‘The New York Times’.
“There are no more crimes and no more punishments. Everything is now allowed, and that has very far-reaching consequences”, agrees Olga Romanova, activist of the organization ‘Russia Behind Bars’.
Officially, the Kremlin wants nothing to do with this. On paper, the mercenaries with a prison history were never released, but transferred to institutions near the border with Ukraine. But according to the Institute for the Study of War, Vladimir Putin has secretly pardoned Russian prisoners who align themselves with Wagner.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday that Wagner’s convicts will be pardoned “in strict accordance with Russian law.” “There are open decrees and there are decrees with a certain degree of secrecy,” he stated mysteriously.
The legal status of many returnees often remains unclear. This may further contribute to the fact that the thousands of returned men with military training and war trauma, a criminal past and few job prospects can pose major problems for Russian society.
Wagner now also aims for Russian parliamentary seat with “candidate of whom everyone is terrified” (+)
Images show how people are recruited in a Russian penal colony: “You have 5 minutes to decide. Whoever deserts gets the bullet”
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